


Singularity

by theironyouth



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:51:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2630855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theironyouth/pseuds/theironyouth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An entirely self-indulgent fic in which James Vega assists a fellow Marine after her niece is kidnapped. Occurs during the Reaper War, just pre-Citadel DLC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Making Eyes

“Drinks all around!” A reasonably inebriated Marine had taken up a stand on the bar counter as he announced his plans, arms spread. A cheer rang through the bar, which was mostly filled with other Marines or their dates, and what Marine didn’t enjoy a free drink.

Valerie herself continued to nurse at her drink, a fruity mixture she’d gotten no shortage of shit for. But she wasn’t in the mood for heavy drinking, and her biotic metabolism burned it off far too quickly to begin with. A towering figure with a torso like a mac truck took up the seat next to her, motioning to the bartender. He was far too comfortable with the bar to be anything but military, but his uniform was more relaxed, and his hair was shaved into a short mohawk.

“Oh, sorry, chica,” he said, glancing over to her, and he shuffled slightly to balance a bit more on the center of his stool. Val waved a dismissive hand at him, unperturbed by his presence. “So,” he glanced over her, “you know what’s going on here?”

“Mhm,” she said through a sip. “He,” she pointed to the man still on the bar, leading a few other men in a chant, “and a few others just came back from Rio. N-School all finished.”

“Oh,” the man turned to glance over at the other man on the bar. “Wonder what it was like. You know, what it was really like.”

“No sleep, lots of visits to other planets, lots of shouting, lots of being fucking cold, lots of being low on rations,” Valerie gave a shrug, and the man turned back to her, respect clear in his eyes. Not that she didn’t deserve it. “Wait a second,” she pointed to him. “I recognize you.”

“You do?” He gripped the drink that had been placed in front of him.

“You were on Fehl Prime, right? My old squad stopped there for a refuel. Weren’t there for long.” She squinted as she tried to remember his name. “Vega, right? You didn’t have the--” she motioned to the scar on his face. “Looks good, though. Roguish charm.”

Vega let out a low huff of laughter, apparently amazed at her memory. “Yeah, yeah, that was me.” He turned back to his drink and the subject dropped. “So, you... You’re N7, then?”

“Yup. Hot off the press, so to speak.”

“Huh. Got a recommendation for the school a while back. Haven’t really thought about it for a bit.”I really 

Valerie lifted her brows, curious. “Oh?” But Vega just shrugged, clearly not wanting to go into detail. “It’s a challenge. Mentally, physically. In ways that you wouldn’t even imagine. But it shows you what you’re made of, that’s for sure.”

“And what are you made of?” Valerie wasn’t sure if that was a come on.

“Mostly hunger, as it turns out,” she shrugged. “It happens to biotics. We use a lot of calories. What are you doing on Earth now, anyway?”

Vega threw back the amber liquid in his glass before answering. “I’m guarding Commander Shepard these days. Not exactly Fehl Prime, but that wasn’t really all that thrilling, either.”

“At least it’s Commander Shepard. That’s more exciting than a Terminus colony, right?”

Vega gave a shrug, rolling the glass between his palms. “Listen, I’m not good at this,” he looked over to her, and she gave a low laugh.

“I hadn’t noticed,” she threw back what was left of her drink, regretting it just a touch as the cold and sugar hit her all at once, and then nodded toward the door. “So, you want to get out of here, that’s what you’re saying, right?”

“Yeah,” he perked up as he stood and they wove their way through the drunken crowd out into the refreshing evening air. A taxi stand wasn’t far off, and when they were in the hovercar, he punched in his address. “So, uhh,” he started, staring down at his hands.

Valerie suppressed a snicker. “Oh, come here,” she reached over, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, certain that she feel the heat of a bush from his cheeks. She nipped at his lip before leaning back to give him his space.

“Hey, hey,” he protested, leaning back in and kissing her, this time much more earnest. Val grinned under his lips and unbuckled herself, thanking all the engineers in the world for self-piloting cars as she straddled him. Vega let out a low laugh, hands on her waist. “This isn’t safe, you know.”

“That means it’s your job to keep me from flying through the window,” she murmured against his lips before kissing along his jawline and down to his neck. Her hands tugged at his shirt until she found the hem and then finally his body, hard and muscular from his training. He let out a low sound of pleasure as she sucked and nibbled at his neck, and his own hands found their way under her shirt, up her abdomen to her chest. She sighed against his neck as his large hands moved over her breasts, sensitive even through her bra.

The cab finally settled outside of an apartment, and the two stepped out, Valerie tugging on his wrist to encourage him, but he didn’t seem to need much, grinning like a high schooler with a dirty magazine. The trip up was short before they were in his apartment, and she pulled him back down, hands on his neck. Unwilling to stop, Vega stooped, cupping her ass and lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

“Impressive,” Valerie laughed as he carried her, and he shrugged, still grinning.

“Gotta impress the ladies, you know?” He managed between fervent kisses. He lowered her when they were back to the bedroom. He tugged off his shirt as she did the same, and stepped forward to help her with her pants.

“Ohh, a gentleman,” she teased, her hands sliding over his arms before she stepped out of them.

“Always,” he said as she dropped to the bed, leaning back and beckoning him closer. “I try to avoid fraternizing, but I think a little special congratulations is in order, you know?” Vega smirked, and Valerie quirked an eyebrow as Vega leaned over her.

“Yeah, I think so,” she agreed, her head tilting in curiosity before he eased himself down between her legs. His fingers hooked into the top of her panties and he slipped them down, watching as she pulled her legs to help him. “Have you ever even--?” She questioned, teasing as she leaned on her arms to watch.

He grinned, “Shit, yeah,” he laughed a deep, throaty chuckle, “Don’t make it weird.”

“You’re making it weird,” she watched as he leaned forward, spreading her as she allowed her legs to rest on his shoulders. She took in a sharp breath as he finally made contact, his tongue making a lazy pass. It wasn’t exactly adventurous, but it was a good start, and she allowed herself to lay back. His tongue moved to her clit, teasing and becoming more earnest as she let out small noises of pleasures. One hand moved to his head as her other gripped at the sheets, her toes curling. Her back arched as she urged him on with heavy breaths and soft moans until finally, she came, body relaxing in a matter of moments.

“Told you,” he growled, having leaned back for a second. Valerie looked at him, framed between her thighs, eyebrows lifted.

“You did,” she said, lifting herself up again. “Now c’mon,” she beckoned him with one finger.

Vega stood, undoing his pants as Val moved back across the bed to make room for him. He moved over her once he was done, hand trailing up from her abdomen toward her chest as he leaned down for a kiss. Her hands came up to cup the back of his neck, pulling him for more as his hands unhooked her bra. His mouth moved to her jaw, and down her neck, slipping over her collarbone as she released him to drop her bra over the side of the bed. One of his hands moved to her breasts, and he took her nipple into his mouth, nipping gently.

Valerie let out a soft moan and pulled him back up to her lips, kissing him more before pressing on his side, flipping them over and straddling his waist. She smirked down at him, her hands on his abs. He reached up, stroking her sides as she took his member in her hand, slowly sliding her hand from the head down toward the base. She felt him shiver beneath her, and his head fell back, eyes closed. “Ayye,” he moaned.

She shuffled slightly as she positioned herself above him, smirking at the way his head popped back up, eyes taking her in, fingers tightening on her hips. She lowered herself onto him, savoring the soft sounds she was eliciting from his lips. She bit her own lip as she took him in. Reaching his base, she paused for a moment, savoring the look of anticipation on his face before she started to move, up and down, his fingers never once leaving her hips as they rolled.

Her lips parted as her pace quickened and Vega started moving his own hips to match her movements. She leaned forward, a hand on his chest, toes curling again as they both moaned, “Not yet, not yet,” she huffed, and he let out a groan of disagreement. After a few more thrusts, and one last groan, she finished again, and with an affirmative nod, so did he.

She lowered herself next to him, pressing her face into his neck as they separated. “Damn,” he huffed out as he reached over, stroking her back. “Hell of a congratulations, huh?”

Valerie let out a soft noise of confirmation, clearly not interested in an extended conversation.

* * *

Vega woke the next morning, slow and sleepy, to an empty bed, but the smell of coffee wafting from his kitchen. Finding his boxers amongst the other clothes, most of them still strewn about the room, he made his way out to find Valerie leaning against his counter, a steaming mug clutched in her hands. “Morning,” she lifted her eyebrows and held the cup out. “I didn’t drink yet, don’t worry. Not that your mouth hasn’t been in worse places recently... I’m Valerie Byron, by the way.”

Vega gave a snort, taking the cup as he looked her over, half-exposed in his shirt and her underwear. He felt a pang of what might have been regret for not pursuing relationships. He wouldn’t admit that it could have been loneliness. “Nice to meet you.” He took a sip and wet his lips, looking down into the dark liquid. “Black, huh?”

“Yeah, saves time when everyone else is trying to get to the sugar,” she shrugged, dismissive, as she turned to pour another cup.

“So, listen,” he said after another long moment. “You don’t mind... Keeping this private, right?”

Valerie frowned for a second as she considered, but shook her head. “No, I thought that was part of the deal.”

Vega let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in a sigh of relief, lifting his eyes again. “Not that it’s, you know--”

“Yeah,” she interrupted, appearing almost amused, and he let out a bark of embarrassed laughter, looking back down to his cup. “I know. It’s fine. I’m shipping out to the Citadel in a few hours, anyway.” She gave him a wink as she took a sip of her own coffee. “Speaking of, though...” she trailed off as she moved around him, back to the bedroom in order to gather up her clothes.

Finally dressed again, she paused at the door, “Let’s do this again sometime, hm?” She teased before giving one last wave.


	2. Surprise Circumstances

Darkstar wasn’t exactly prime prowling grounds anymore, but just about every bar on the Citadel was packed to the gills. With all the refugees and soldiers filling the space station, there was really no telling what kind of people would end up hanging around and drinking. But everyone was looking to blow off steam, and with the end of the galaxy on the line, it didn’t typically matter who was on the receiving end, and sometimes, it didn’t even matter what the outlet was.

“This is awful,” Val said, pointed, as she looked over the rim of her glass at her sister. “Don’t you have a wife to get back to?”

“Hmmm, no,” Anias shrugged after a moment of thought, “She’s off-world. Or... Not here. Baby sitter’s at home.” The woman made a vague motion that Valerie wasn’t quite sure the meaning off-- the bar, or the station as a whole. “You know, business,” she quoted the last words with her fingers. “So, my business, now, is to find you a hot date.”

“You’re a little drunk.”

“You’re a little sober,” Anais squinted at her sister. Valerie made a small noise of agreement before taking another drink from her glass. “You biotics and your metabolism.”

“You... Tech nerds and your... whatever.” Valerie lost the momentum of her return insult, and instead turned to watch the expanse of the club. People danced at the back, mostly bad flailing to make up for their alcoholic stupor. “Listen,” Val let out a sigh, “Why don’t you head home. You’re drunk.”

“And what are you going to do, hm?”

Valerie shrugged as she stepped away from the bar, their tab settled digitally. “Wander, I guess. See what trouble I can stir up before shipping back out. I’ve got thirty... six more hours?”

Anais let out a grunt of dismissal as she stood as well. She didn’t exactly sway, but she didn’t really look all that steady, either. “Yeah, you do like trouble. But not too much trouble. Good-looking trouble,” she nodded. “Have fun. I’ll be home with the baby.”

Valerie gave a quick raise of her brows before leaving her inebriated sister to find a cab. The trip to the Presidium docks didn’t take long, and she found herself staring out into the open expanse of the Serpent Nebula through the large windows. The docks were clamouring at all hours now, refugees pouring in from just about every corner of the civilized galaxy while military vessels docked in search of both resources and relaxation. The current hour seemed to be a lull, and she at least got to stare out into the emptiness in peace. Valerie had seen it herself, but it was hard to imagine that there was some mythical monstrosities out there, tearing planets and lives to pieces. A sleek metal shape slipped by, the auditory simulators creating the expected sounds. It took a moment to register, but Valerie recognized the ship. The Normandy.

Shepard had escaped Earth, she’d heard about it, with his crew and ship mostly intact. Her fingers clenched involuntarily as her mind wandered to Earth. It wasn’t much of a home to her, but it was still Earth. She had apparently been lucky in her dock selection, as a low tone indicated the freshly docked frigate and the extension of the gangway. She stepped back, her mind suddenly taken to Vega. He had been guarding Shepard on Earth, last she knew, barely a few months ago. Shepard would know what had become of him. If he’d made it off Earth, or if he was still down there, fighting.

She took a step toward the departing crew, planning to make good on her intent to question the ship’s CO, but stopped dead in her tracks as a familiar hulking frame appeared. She felt a relief she hadn’t been expecting and hesitated. She didn’t have any business with him, not really. The morning after their night together had finished all of that. But he turned, eyes sliding over her, and she resigned herself to going back to Anais’ apartment before he turned back. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was no one else that he could have been looking at, so she lifted a hand in greeting.

Apparently, this was confirmation enough, and he headed over, a grin plastered over his face. “Well, you’re the last person I expected to see here,” he said, looking her over. “Thought you’d be out saving planets and shit.”

“How do you think I feel?” Valerie smiled in return, and then nodded toward the Normandy. “New crew, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. Shepard brought me along when we fled Earth,” he answered, his expression turning dark, almost ashamed. “And uh... We’ve been doing a lot of good work.”

“I know,” Valerie nodded. “I keep up with the news. If you’re running with Shepard, you’ve been all over the galaxy, working to save more than just planets.”

“Yeah, how’ve you been?” Vega switched the subject quickly, looking out to space for a second.

“Well enough. On the tail end of some shore-leave before we head out again. I’m on the Midway, now. Not as impressive as the Normandy, but...” she shrugged. She opened her mouth to continue speaking, but her omni-tool blipped, and she looked down to it with a frown. Anais was calling. “Oh, hold on,” she said as she lifted her arm to take the call. “It’s my sister.”

“Yeah,” Vega nodded and turned away, even though he would only be able to hear half of the conversation.

“Valerie?” The frantic tone in her sister’s voice had Valerie immediately on edge as she answered.

“Anais, what’s wrong?” Valerie asked, turning away this time, even as Vega looked to her, concerned.

“She’s gone! Athena is gone!” The woman’s wracking sobs were difficult to hear over the comm link, and Valerie was left agape for a moment.

“I’m coming! I’m on my way, stay there, just don’t leave,” she said, cutting the link.

Vega was looking at Valerie now, and she glanced at him, but shook her head. “Family issue, I-- I have to go. I’m sorry, it was good to see you,” she said, turning away back to the transport terminal.

“Can I help?” He sounded honestly concerned, and Val paused, weighing her options. With her sister more or less out of commission and Osira too far to help, she might need a bit more muscle.

“I’m... Not sure. But come on,” she tilted her head in the direction of the terminal. She punched in a few buttons, and hopped in, the vehicle taking off only after Vega had closed the door and they were both safely strapped in. “It’s my niece,” she explained as the auto-pilot took them out to the residential district of Zakera Ward. “Her mother just got home to find her gone.”

“Shit,” Vega ran a hand over his cropped hair. “Do you guys know who might have done it?”

Valerie wet her lips, staring out the windshield of their vehicle. “Yeah,” she answered after a long moment. “My sister-in-law... She’s an Asari. And she’s not exactly short on enemies.” She shifted uncomfortably as Vega looked over at her. “It’s... The Eclipse Sisters have apparently been threatening her lately. Not that they were worried about it-- Anais isn’t exactly a pushover, either.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“It’s not relevant.” She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling Vega’s eyes watching her for several long moments, the rest of the ride finishing in silence.

* * *

Anais was waiting at the base of the apartment building, face red and splotchy from tears. She ran to Valerie as the woman stepped out of the cab, and they clung to one another for several moments, Anais’ shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She pulled away, but Valerie’s hands held onto her shoulders, watching her sister’s face. The redhead could find no words, but Valerie didn’t need any. “We’ll find her,” she said, her voice soft as she led the other woman to the elevator, Vega trailing along at as much of a respectful distance as he could give them without feeling like he was leaving them exposed.

“I don’t want to go back in there,” Anais said as the door slid closed. “And I have to call C-Sec, too.” Valerie let out a groan, earning a disapproving look from Vega. “And-- Osira,” her shoulders started to shake again, and Valerie pulled her close, shushing her. She glanced to Vega, concern written all over his face. He looked down, and then at the door, apparently ashamed at having been caught watching such a personal moment.

“Wait out here with her, please,” Valerie said as they reached the apartment, and Vega nodded. “And call C-Sec.”

The inside of the apartment was a disaster zone. The baby sitter lay dead in the middle of the living room amidst broken glass and shattered wood. Athena, though still a child, had apparently put up a good fight. Or perhaps their sitter was a bit more ferocious than Valerie had given her credit for. The bedroom doors were broken, and there were smears of blood that didn’t belong to the dead woman. Stepping over to the sitter, Val found a datapad resting on her back. She picked it up without hesitation and went back to the hallway, activating it and taking in the stream of words. It was a short note.

 

_Tell that bitch Osira to contact me, or I kill your daughter._

_\-- Thereen_

 

“Do you know Thereen?” Valerie looked up at her sister, eyebrows raised. The woman shook her head.

“No,” She sniffled, and held her hand out for the datapad, which Valerie handed over, though she didn’t expect her sister would find much more than she did. “She’s a Sister,” she said after a long moment. Anais always had been better with technology. “She wiped the pad before she used it, but there’s still some remnants of old codes. Nothing important of course, but that’s their coding.”

“Head to Dad’s old place. He still owns it, I’m sure. You’ll be safe there.” Anais nodded in agreement before hugging her sister one more time. “I’ll wait for C-Sec. Take the pad.”

“You don’t think they’re going to need that?” Vega protested, his heavy brow furrowing.

“No,” Valerie looked up at him, but she could read that he wasn’t exactly pleased with her decision. “They’ll go looking for someone else. You and I can go looking for Thereen.”

“That’s vigilantism, we can’t do that,” he protested again.

“You’re running with Shepard now,” Valerie squared her shoulders, refusing to back down as Anais stepped back into the elevator. “You should understand that things in this universe don’t always work the way they’re supposed to. If we send C-Sec after whomever has Athena, they’ll kill her. They’ll see Bailey coming from miles away, and they won’t take the chance of being caught with her. And C-Sec officers _will_ die. You and I, alone, will be much more effective.”

She couldn’t say that he looked particularly thrilled with the idea, but he didn’t seem to be able to come up with a counter argument, either.


	3. Taking Initiative

The C-Sec officer’s expression was taught, tense, but not apparently over concerned. “It’s not like she left the Citadel, she’s literally five minutes away, further down in the ward, that’s all,” Valerie protested as the turian continued to stare at her. “I didn’t think having a distraught mother hanging around the scene of her child’s abduction would really be helpful.”

“Right,” the officer sighed and lowered his data pad. Another group was scouring the interior of the apartment, looking for clues. “And neither of you have any idea who could have done this? No... Family enemies? Your last name is Byron, right?”

Valerie crossed her arms over her chest, feeling Vega bristle at the question, too, but for an entirely different reason. This wasn’t exactly something she wanted coming to light. “I’m sure there are some Suns on the Citadel. Why don’t you do your job and hunt them down, and then ask them?” Her tone was sharp, and pointed. The officer huffed at her. One of the searching officers exited the apartment, nodding toward their turian coworker. “Do you even have anyone talking to Anais yet?” Valerie made a quick motion with her hand, dismissing their current efforts.

“What about your sister’s girlfriend? Were they having any... Domestic problems?"

Valerie’s fist clenched against her bicep, and she felt her amp start to warm. “Wife, and no,” she all but growled. She felt Vega’s heavy hand on her shoulder, a quiet warning, but she couldn’t relax. “Not to my knowledge.”

“I have to ask,” he lifted his free hand to try and calm her nerves. “If we have any more questions we’ll call you.” He turned away, and Valerie considered a rudge, parting gesture, but Vega was tugging her away, back into the elevator, where she glowered at the automatic door, pointedly ignoring him watching her as they descended.

“Why did he ask about your name?”

Valerie sighed, looking down for a second before resuming her examination of the door. “Our dad... He got into some shit a long time ago. He got into _a lot_ of shit a long time ago.”

“With the Blue Suns?”

“With _a_ Sun. You know how mercs can be, petty, hostile, big babies. They took it too far, ended up catching C-Sec’s attention--”

“ _Catching_ C-Sec’s attention?” Vega’s tone was accusing.

“Vega,” Valerie turned to look at him, pleading.

“Yeah, I get it. Dad’s not a good guy.” Vega shrugged and looked away.

“Never said that,” she said, stepping out of the elevator and stepping over to the taxi terminal. She stopped as her omni-tool alerted her to an incoming call. Her sister. “Anais?”

“Val,” Anais’ voice was still tight, and a bit hoarse, but far different than what it had been barely half an hour before. “I looked into reports of the Eclipse Sisters on the Citadel. It seems Thereen has been making enemies, even out of the other mercs. With the war going on, it might be some kind of power grab. With Sederis gone and Sayn in charge, maybe she thought this was her chance. I’m surprised Aria hasn’t taken her down already.”

“So she takes Athena?”

“To get to Osira. You know, old friends type of deal, I guess.”

“Old friends?” There was a pause, and Valerie had to assume that Anais was waving the question off. “What else have you got?

“Right, there’s an old warehouse complex I’ve linked the Sisters to. It’s-- it’s the best place to look until I can get ahold of Osira, and from there, I’ll try tracing the communications through her omni-tool.”

“You can do that?”

“I can try,” Anais sounded on the verge of another round of sobs as she admitted that she may, for once in her life, not be able to work her way out of her situation. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Send me the location. We’ll check it out. We’ll find her, I promise.”

* * *

“I still don’t think this is right,” Vega said, as he turned back to Valerie. Vega had retrieved his armor from the Normandy under the pretense of needing to get some minor adjustments made, while Valerie’s had been handy thanks to the Midway being dry-docked. They stood now, across the pathway from the warehouse, waiting for any sign of motion within.

Valerie sighed, and threw her arms out in an exasperated movement. “Then go back to the Normandy, Vega. Call Shepard, call C-Sec. I didn’t ask for your help.

“And you think I’m just going to let you, anyone, go up against a faction of Eclipse mercs by themselves? Some loco asari commando? With a kid on the line?” He almost sounded offended, but it wasn’t in Valerie to feel apologetic for it. “Just ‘cause I won’t let you do this alone doesn’t mean it feels right.”

She folded her arms over her chest flaring her fingers out. “Things with my family are complicated. I’m sorry you got pulled into it.”

Vega looked at her, long and hard, but she didn’t flinch. She would have preferred Vega had stayed out of it, but she’d let him tag along, and truth be told, she would need his help. “Let’s just get Athena home. Are you ready?”

There were lights on within the complex, but there was little that they could see from the exterior, outside of a few shadows passing through windows. Valerie was anxious, but she couldn’t risk rushing in without any information. “Let’s do this,” Valerie said before pulling her helmet into place and lifting up her cowl.

“Is that really what they’ve got you wearing? It looks more like a-- nah, nevermind.” Vega stopped his line of thought, pulling on his own helmet as well. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Valerie nodded, and then tilted her head in the direction of the front door, it’s lock changing colors before parting to reveal an asari, telltale black and armor confirming the information Anais had sent. “That’s our cue.” Valerie clenched her fists, a blaze of blue aura surrounding her as she ran forward, leaping toward the asari. Her body collapsed into a dense ball and disappeared, reappearing next to the asari and taking her out with a biotic-fueled punch. The weight-sensitive doors slid back open, revealing a cluster of asari, now well aware of her presence. Diving behind a crate, Valerie crouched, watching as Vega appeared in the doorway, before finding his own cover to hide from the flurry of bullets coming at them. “Hell of an entry plan!” He had snatched the rifle from the asari at the front, and checked the thermal clip. It was fresh.

“We’re in, aren’t we?” She said, taking a quick peek over the crate. “Watch out-- they’ve got powerful barriers.”

“Wouldn’t have guessed,” he answered, boosting his shields and standing to return fire.

Not having the time to worry about Vega himself, Valerie popped out as well, throwing a ball of biotic energy toward one of the asari, forcing her to stop firing. The asari snarled visibly, lowering her weapon and flaring her own biotic aura. Valerie threw herself at the asari, using the same trick as before, her body condensing into a black sphere before she was transported the short distance across the room, where she knocked the rifle out of the asari’s hands with a quick blow to her adversary’s chin. She stumbled, her fingers releasing the rifle which clattered against the floor.

Asari weren’t just trained in biotics, however, and the blue alien brought up her fists, throwing a wild jab, causing Valerie to drop, sweeping a leg out to knock the asari off her feet. The woman was down, but she scrambled up with surprising agility, and catching Valerie across the jaw with another swing of her arm. Activating her omni-tool, a sharp orange blade springing out, Valerie brought her fist back up to the asari’s side, the blade sinking deep into her body. The asari let out a short scream, biotics flaring before she went limp, and Valerie rolled her off of herself, taking up her rifle and ducking for cover once more. The other asari had been too worried about shooting one of their own, or else betting that she would win. Now that Valerie was free of her, however, it was a different story. Vega had managed another of the asari, but the sounds of his frustration indicated that his heat sink was low or completely dry. “I got her, Vega,” Valerie stepped up and out of cover, throwing her fist up and sending out a shockwave of biotic energy.

The asari saw it coming, and her barrier held up, but Valerie was on the attack now, firing at her with rapid bursts of bullets. The barrier was down after a moment more, and then the asari herself. She fell back, letting out a macabre groan, blood spilling out onto the floor.

“That what they teach you that teleport trick in N-School?” Vega popped his head out of cover before coming to collect heat sinks as Valerie replaced hers.

Valerie shrugged. “They teach us a lot of things.” She looked to the elevators, wary. “Well, they know we’re here.”


End file.
